Paint marks fresh start for Boston Marathon

Tuesday

Apr 15, 2014 at 8:43 AMApr 15, 2014 at 12:24 PM

By Jonathan PhelpsDaily News Staff

HOPKINTON – It’s a simple tribute.The starting line of this year’s Boston Marathon features the word Boston written on a symbol in the shape of a heart with a roadway going through it."You can’t help but think back to the events of last year," said Jacques "Jack" LeDuc as he and a crew painted the blue-and-yellow start line Monday afternoon. He’s been doing it since 1981.The 63-year-old Ashland man hesitated to say the words attack or bombings."It’s a new year and hopefully we’ll be back to business," he said. "I didn’t realize it affected me early on, but the closer we get I start thinking about it more."Today marks the one-year anniversary of the bombings at the finish line. Many people stopped by the start line Monday to take pictures and to pause and reflect on last year’s tragedy.Sharon Lisnow, co-director of the Michael Lisnow Respite Center in Hopkinton, was at the finish line last year when the bombs went off. She did not want to recount that day."What the Marathon this year is about is looking back and honoring those who were touched last year by the tragedy," she said. "And recognizing the goodness that has come forward this year. It is time to look to the future."The nonprofit has 122 runners raising money for the charity this year. They were taking a photo to send to team members for encouragement.As he was getting ready to go on a 13-mile run, Mike Cashman of Westborough walked up to the start line and, with his cellphone, snapped a photo of the crew painting. He has run the Marathon for the past 23 years, mostly as an unofficial bandit.He was stopped at the 25-mile mark last year."It took me a while to get over what happened," he said. "It was upsetting. I was just turning the corner onto Boylston Street. I had no idea what was going on, I thought it was a gas explosion."With strict rules against bandits this year, Cashman said he’ll be watching from the sidelines. Marathon Monday will be a somber and celebratory event at the same time, he said."This place is going to be amazing at the start," he said of Hopkinton. "It is a great event"Hopkinton Police Lt. Charles Wallace, who served as interim chief during much of the planning for this year’s race, stopped by to say hello to LeDuc. There was a group of police gathered to work on race day logistics near the Town Common."We’ll definitely be ready," he said.LeDuc, who grew up in Hopkinton, and crew have become a fixture in town each year. His daughters, Laura McGee and Jeanne Bloom, have been helping since they were young.Before LeDuc, the start line used to be a single white line. His first painting was simple and read: "Hopkinton: The Start."For many years, he came up with different designs that paid tribute to different aspects of the Marathon or history. One year it was Hopkinton's 275th anniversary. Another honored the death of Johnny Kelley, a Marathon legend.He said he now receives the design from the B.A.A. to match the finish line. This year’s design was sent to him about six weeks ago.The work took about five hours to complete on Monday and he said he’ll likely be back at it next year."I just take it one year at a time," he said.Jonathan Phelps can be reached at 508-626-4338 or jphelps@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JPhelps_MW.